How do you get rid of weeds on your lawn?

Trying to kill both weeds and ants without using toxic chemicals is frustrating. While no method is perfect, non-chemical methods can provide short-term solutions. Homemade sprays using household products help kill the weeds and a few ants, but again, they're short-term solutions. Long-term solutions generally require treating each pest, the weeds and the ants, separately with products designed to kill that particular pest.

Boiling Water

While not an herbicide or insecticide, boiling water is effective at killing weeds and ants. You can use boiling water as a spot treatment on concrete sidewalks, driveways or anthills. Simply pour the extremely hot water directly onto the weeds and ants. Boiling water, however, has its own dangers, including the risk of spilling the 212 degree Fahrenheit water and burning yourself, a family member or pet by accident. In addition, in the case of biting ants, you risk being bitten by the surviving ants as they swarm out of the anthill.

Homemade Weed and Ant Killers

Mixing a solution of a few drops of dishwashing liquid, salt and vinegar provides a simple, all-around weed-killing solution. The dishwashing liquid acts as a surfactant, helping the salt and vinegar stick to the leaves of the offending weeds. It also kills ants. However, if you don't kill the entire nest, it isn't a long-term solution to your ant problems. A cleaning solution of dishwashing liquid and equal parts water and household vinegar may be used to wipe up ants and destroy their trails leading into your house, but again, it's not a permanent solution.

Horticultural Vinegar

Vinegar solutions are used for homemade weed and pest control, However, using household-strength vinegar is not effective on many weeds. United States Agricultural Department researchers found that horticultural-level vinegar of 10 to 20 percent has an 85 to 100 percent success rate on many weed species. Because vinegar is an acid, the horticultural-level vinegar products should be treated with care, whether sprayed on weeds or an anthill. Wear safety goggles, gloves, long pants and sleeves, and a breathing mask to protect your eyes, skin and lungs from the acetic acid in the vinegar